Variations on the Death of Lina Inverse III
by Niu Shiy-Ue
Summary: All that summoning is going to catch up with you!


Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me, I am not making any money off this, I do not have any money, please do not sue.  
  
  
  
  
"What the-? How can this be!?!" screamed Filibrizo, upon sighting the glowing figure where he expected a vortex of entropy to appear. "Who are you!?!"  
"I AM BLACKER THAN THE BLACKEST PITCH, DEEPER THAN THE DEEPEST NIGHT. i AM THE ONE WHO LONGS TO REGAIN HER OWN FORM. THAT IS HOW YOU DESCRIBE ME. I AM . . ." the figure of Lina Inverse opened her eyes. Instead of being the usual dull maroon, they were now a bright, shining gold. "THE LORD OF NIGHTMARES."  
"No, no, no! This can't be! The spell merely draws power from you, not calls you down!"  
"MY MIND IS MY POWER, MY POWER MY MIND."  
"My plans, my plans! All my perfectly set schemes brought to naught by you!" Filibrizo, though thousands of years old, was still as childlike emotionally, as his human form, and he began to cry. "I want to die! I want to die and have the whole world die with me!"  
LON gazed down impassively. "WHY DO WISH FOR DESTRUCTION?"  
Filibrizo looked up. "Isn't that what you wanted? Isn't that what you created us for? To destroy the world?"  
"NO."  
He tilted his head inquisitively. "Then why?" It seemed as if his whole existence needed to be rethought.  
"I CREATED THE MAZOKU AND THE RYUZOKU TO FIGHT FOR CONTROL OF THIS WORLD, NOT TO DESTROY IT. I AND I ALONE WILL DECIDE WHEN THIS WORLD SHALL END."  
Filibrizo frowned. "Then you will-"  
"NOT I. YOU."  
"Me?"  
"YOU HAVE STRAYED FROM YOUR MISSION. YOU MUST BE PUNISHED."  
He bowed his head. Now he would be killed, as all failed Mazoku were.  
"FOR CALLING DOWN THAT WHICH YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND. THERE IS NO ACHIEVEMENT, NO FAILURE, ONLY THE PROCESS." She pointed at the crystals. "YOU WILL FIRST RELEASE THOSE YOU HAVE IMPRISONED."  
Filibrizo wanted to object, but stopped. With a snap of his fingers, the crystals disappeared and their occupants fell to the floor. They stared in wonder and confusion at the scene before them. "Lina!" Gourry cried.  
"That is not Lina" The others looked at Xellos, who had just fazed in, as he dropped to one knee and gave name to the being in front of them. "Mother."  
"Mother?" Amelia queried, confused.  
"The Lord of Nightmares. She who created, and will destroy all that has, does and will exist in all worlds. She is the mother of all."  
LON ignored them. "YOU WILL RESTORE SAIRAAG. A TRUE RESTORATION. WHAT THIS SCHEME HAS CAUSED, YOU WILL UNDUE MOST OF IT. AFTER YOU HAVE FINISHED WITH SAIRAAG, I WILL GIVE YOU NEW ORDERS." to Filibrizo. She then turned her attention to the others. "YOU WILL HELP HIM IN THESE TASKS, AND WILL WELL REWARDED." Then she began to recede, to draw away from them all. She seemed to be disappearing into a black void. "Lina!" Gourry cried out again, and attempted to follow her, yet was stopped by Zel and Amelia  
"No!" they said in unison. "You cannot follow her! She is beyond our help!"  
Xellos jumped down, and stood before him. "The price of calling upon the Mother of All is steep, and she capricious. Do not attempt to detain her, or she may decide to take us all with her." Gourry still struggled against this, yet they all helped in holding him down. They all watched until the last trace of entropy had disappeared, the wind died down, and everything had returned to normal in Hell. "Lina" Gourry sobbed one last time.  
"Poor girl" Amelia  
"Oh my" Sylfiel  
"I guess this is it." Filibrizo  
It was a subdued group which finally reached Sairaag. There had not been even the slightest antagonistic comment between the Mazoku and the mortals. Once there Filibrizo began looking around. "I can restore the people easily enough. But frankly, it will take a lot of work."  
Sylfiel looked up from comforting Gourry. "She said we were to help you. Restore the people and Flagoon, and I will take charge of rebuilding Sairaag."  
"I cannot restore Flagoon. Actually I do no know why it died, I only came here because it did."  
"The people then." Filibrizo nodded then cast a spell. Everyone who had died there, even Eruk, Eris and the Koppi appeared. Sylfiel helped Gourry to his feet, and they made there way over to them..  
"So what will you do?" asked Filibrizo to the rest.  
"I, I will go back home and restore Zoana. Now that I have seen real demons the worship of Zomelgustar, doesn't seem . . ." Martina, it appeared had grown up quite a bit in the past day or so.  
"We will go back, you mean." Zangulus amplified. To Martina's startled glance, "I am remarkably impressed by your dedication, Martina. And also, I think it is time I settle down, and give up my obsession with being the best swordsman around. I know I am not, and I need to accept that, the same way you accept the fact that Zomelgustar isn't real."  
"I'll probably help them, both Sairaag and Zoana. Seyruun is a rich kingdom, and anyway, I need to come to grips with what happens in my family." Amelia was already beginning to look up, and deal with the events that had occured. "Zelgadis-san?"  
"Recieving a reward from the Lord of Nightmares is probably my best chance at a cure. I'll help Sylfiel."  
"I had best be getting around to my other duties and penalties then." With that Filibrizo and Xellos both fazed out.  
Epilogue  
Martina and Zangulus returned to the kingdom of Zoana, and with the help of Zangulus's erstwhile partner Vrumagen, rebuilt it. For two years Sylfiel devided her time between rebuilding Sairaag and comforting Gourry. Amelia returned to Seyruun and provided assistance to both Kingdoms, while Zelgadis helped first Sylfiel, then Filibrizo in their assigned tasks. Filibrizo remained under penalty for ten years, the most significant of his labors being the foiling of Valgaav's plan to destroy the world for revenge, with the help of Zelgadis Greywords, Xellos Metallium and Zelas Metallium, Ju-ou-sama. Over the years certain events or circumstances came about that fufilled the Lord of Nightmares promise to the group. After rebuilding Zoana, Queen Martina resumed her studies, not only of golems, but also of basic black and white magic with the help of Sylfiel and Amelia. While before a mediocre sorceress, she now displayed remarkable proficiency, although she never reached the level of being world reknown. She took on Vrumagen as her Vizier and Zangulus as her Champion. For Zelgadis, the gift took not the form of a direct cure, but rather the knowledge he gained while serving Filibrizo. Using it, he became an accomplished shape-shifter, and later rose to take the position of President of the Atlas City Sorcerer's Guilde. In the case of Xellos he was appointed as the new Dark Lord in place of Gaav, Chaos Jaguar Xavier. Sylfiel, on the other hand gained neither power or position, but rather self-confidence from her experience of organizing the rebuilding of Sairaag. Oddly enough, she did not redevote Sairaag to Ceifeid or any of his servants, but rather to Filibrizo, rebuilding his shrine on the ground where Flagoon once stood. In was the first indication of change, for many other powerful kingdoms within the barrier began to devote themselves to the Mazoku as well, Atlas City, Seyruun and Zoana being the most prominent upon the ascension of President Zelgadis Greywords, Queen Amelia and Queen Martina, devoting themselves to Dynast Grausheila, Xavier Shiryu and Zelas Metallium respectively. This became most appearent during the wedding's of the rulers of each nation. During the wedding of Queen Martina and Swordschampion Zangulus, taking place the year after the events documented here, Xellos Metallium, then still Priest for Zelas Metallium officiated. Four years later, the wedding between Sylfiel Nels Lada and Gourry Gabriev was used to concecrate the temple of Hellmaster Filibrizo. And finally sx years after that, the wedding between Zelgadis Greywords and Amelia Seyruun took place on the eve that Atlas City and Seyruun swore allegiance to the Mazoku, and both events were witnessed by Xavier Shiryu and Sheila, Dynast's General. This change in allegiance later played a great role in history, especially with regard to the newly opened outerworld. 


End file.
